World Pneumothorax Day Date in the current year: June 24, 2025

Pneumothorax is a medical condition in which air escapes into the pleural cavity, the space between the lung and the chest wall. The buildup of air puts pressure on the lung, causing it to collapse partially or completely. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, chest tightness, and a sharp pain on one side of the chest that worsens with inhalation. Since other conditions have similar symptoms, a chest X-ray, CT scan, or ultrasound is usually necessary for a proper diagnosis.

Depending on the underlying cause, there are three main types of pneumothorax: primary spontaneous pneumothorax, secondary spontaneous pneumothorax, and traumatic pneumothorax. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs without a known cause. However, there are known risk factors for this type of pneumothorax, such as a family history of pneumothorax, smoking, and being male.

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs in individuals with an existing lung disease. Approximately 70% of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax cases are complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Other diseases that carry the risk of pneumothorax include asthma, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, lung cancer, metastatic tumors in the lungs, endometriosis, and others.

Finally, traumatic pneumothorax can result from blunt or penetrating trauma to the chest wall, such as a rib fracture. Traumatic pneumothorax can be open, with a passageway for external air in the chest wall (for example, due to a stab or gunshot wound), or closed, with an intact chest wall.

The treatment for pneumothorax depends on its type and the severity of the symptoms. Small, stable primary spontaneous pneumothoraces often resolve as spontaneously as they occur and do not require treatment unless shortness of breath occurs. Moderate or large pneumothoraces require treatment, which involves either a needle aspiration or insertion of a chest tube (thoracostomy) to remove the air and allow the lung to re-expand. Occasionally, surgery is required.

The treatment of secondary pneumothoraces has two goals. The first is to remove the air from the pleural cavity and allow the lung to re-expand. The second goal is to treat the underlying condition to prevent recurrent pneumothoraces.

Various rare disease and respiratory health organizations promote World Pneumothorax Day, but there is no consensus regarding the date. For instance, the BHD Foundation, the Marfan Trust, and the European Respiratory Society celebrate it on June 24, while the LAM Foundation and the Myrovlytis Trust celebrate it on June 30.